Gris
by PLKBerry
Summary: Gris is French for Gray. Piper askes Annabeth about Percy, and learns a bit about those strange streaks in her hair... Who would've thought: The architect teaching the charmspeaker about love. Percabeth and Jasiper. Annabeth/Piper Friendship.


**So, I was thinking how it was SO COOL that Piper can speak French, and noticed that not many stories incorporate that factor. I decided to take up the challenge! And who knows, I was considering doing a Piper/Aphridite thing, so maybe I'll throw some French. See, when I'm procrastinating my French homework, I write, so... Tell me what you think! And now, enjoy!**

I was contemplating the columns on Demeter's Temple, when there was a small knock on the door.

"Come in," I called, and decided on Ionic columns, which I then began sketching. Two or Four? I think I'll do four, it'll add more depth.

"Hey," Piper said, slyly slipping inside the cabin, "I'm sorry, if you're busy, I-"

"No, no, no," I protested, laying my work aside, "It's about time I take a break anyway. Percy…" I choked up slightly at the thought of my missing boyfriend, "Well, he always said I worked too much."

She nodded. "About that… I've been wondering… about him. He's such a big deal, but I know nothing about him. And whenever I ask anyone, they tell me to ask you, so…"

"Sure, no problem. Oh… where to start," I thought aloud.

I could start with the moment I first met him, stumbling over half-blood hill carrying Grover, but… no. Our first quest was nothing compared to what he would later accomplish. Our second quest? Heroic, but… again, no. He was a son of Poseidon, so a quest on the sea is a no-brainer. The titan war? No way. If anyone would tell Piper anything, it would be that. Our third quest? I could, but… I kind of liked the way our first kiss was just between us. No eavesdroppers, just the two of us. Besides, that was the last time he'd disappeared and I just couldn't talk about that. Then I decided.

"Piper, what color is my hair?" I asked. I might as well start with first-hand experience.

"Uh… Blonde?" she asked, looking at me as if I'd gone mad. Hey, perhaps I had.

Technically she was right, "Well, yes… But is that the only color in my hair?"

She looked at it warily, as if she thought my streaks were due to recent stress, and didn't want to point them out. "_Gris." _She murmured.

"What?"

"_Gris._ It's French for… Well, it's French for gray. You have gray in your hair."

"Precisely. Now, being a half-blood, you don't think I got this from old age? From excess stress?"

She told me that, no, she did not believe that, though I had a haunting suspicion that she did.

"I got this from holding up the sky."

She gaped at me, openmouthed. "What? But that… How?"

I could feel my face darken. Luke. "I was tricked. That's not the point. You came to ask about Percy. Percy's the kind of guy who sneaks on a quest when his best friend gets kidnapped and forced to hold up the sky. The kind of guy who thinks, 'I have to save her.' He was… He _is_ the kind of guy who will always be there for you, no matter what. The kind of guy who would hold up the sky instead of fighting so we'd have a decent chance."

Piper thanked me, and told me she'd catch me later, so I got back to those pesky columns. Maybe I should have six instead…

* * *

><p><em>Piper<em>

I walked out of Annabeth's cabin, amazed at her story. Truthfully, I'd always wondered about those silver streaks in her hair, but was always afraid to ask. I entered my cabin, and (as usual) my siblings were quarrelling about the true meaning of love.

"Love is eternal passion!" Kelly declared.

"No, love is caring deeply about another person. It doesn't have to be eternal or particularly passionate!" Lacy argued.

"Oh, please!" Kelly scoffed, "Piper, will you please tell Lacy that the best love is eternal?"

"You're asking me what love is? How should I know, I've never been in love." I answered.

They looked confounded, "But, Jason-" Lacy began.

"I do like Jason," I clarified, "but I don't love him. You want to know what love is? Love… Love is _gris_."

"Gray?" My sisters shared a confused look, "What?"

"Love is love. It cannot be defined. Love can mean many different things. You're both right, in different ways. One thing I know about the best kind of love, though? The heart-breaking, infatuating, infuriating, truest, purest kind of love? It's gray."

**I've always thought that love could mean many different things in diffrent context. I could tell my BFF I love her, but that doesn't mean I love her in a romantic way. At the same time, I could tell my brother I love him and have it mean something completely diffrent. Piper, at the end, is of course referring to a certain kind of romantic love that carries on through thick and thin. Yeah, so, Piper's siblings probably think she's crazy but... And, for all you Jasiper fans out there- The best kind of love takes time. So if she starts out liking him, and later grows to love him, it will probably be stronger. Allright, I've rambled on enough. I would love it if you could review... Just a thought.**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


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